


Kusudama

by Jedi_of_Books_and_Snacks



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: F/M, Flowers, Origami, Pining, Writer's Month 2019, kogami/angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:03:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi_of_Books_and_Snacks/pseuds/Jedi_of_Books_and_Snacks
Summary: When he and Masaoka get called out on a slow case, Kogami decides to help a seven-year-old fold a flower.





	Kusudama

**Author's Note:**

> A kusudama is a kind of origami flower. Translated from the Japanese, it means “medicine ball” and is often given as a gift. I’ve included some links at the bottom for more info.
> 
> Totally unread by a beta. YOLO. All mistakes are mine.

Filled with kid-friendly toys and playtime activities, the psychologist’s office was a calming place to bring your hue. Unfortunately, they’d been called here to see to the shrink and arrest her attacker, who was KO’d in the front room. The psych sat in her office, drinking some water from the bubbler with a shaking hand as she listened to Tsnuemori ask questions with Masaoka as a calming background presence. A man, (it was always a man, Tsunemori said, and he’d said men clouding your hue, now, and she had laughed), had loved her with a sort of ferocious single-minded intensity that was only found among the insane. This guy had somehow skipped flagging the hue passes on the street, which heightened Tsunemori’s interest. Plus, this creep had followed the shrink around, and she’d had said she thought he’d stood outside her apartment at night. Watching her.

Then, he’d come here and had tried to woo her with a gun as his method of attraction. 

So, she had shot him, and then knocked him out.

Somehow, and if Kogami was right and the displayed martial arts awards were earned by the shrink, well . . . he’d bet it was a hell of a story. 

Assigned to seeing off the jerk to the med team, Kogami happily complied. Tsunemori had wanted someone who wasn’t intimidating and distant (_chill as the winter_, Kagari would laugh) to join her for questioning. Besides, if he asked around, most of them would peg Masaoka as their de facto dad, which Kogami knew he would take in fatherly stride. Even if Gino would hate it. 

Anyway, it was strange, this trust she had in him, as though he would skip past the insistent part of him that yearned for freedom. But, he reasoned, you can’t focus on the Specimen Case anywhere else, and frankly, no one would understand him like his fellow latent criminals. So. And then she, an Inspector, would ask his opinion and treat Enforcer him like a fellow detective and he had to stop himself from feeling right about that. From being relieved that someone out there cared. 

Anyway, this current asshole was still unconscious when they’d arrived to find the psychologist staring him down over the barrel of a revolver (something else Tsunemori was keen to have more insight into) and, of all things, making sure he didn’t wake up and go into the rest of her office.

As the icing on the cake, idiot had shown up when the psych was working with a seven-year-old girl who barely spoke. The stand-off had partly been to protect the child, who had been hiding when they arrived. They had called her parents, who were on their way. For now, that girl was in the back of her office, folding flowers at a small table.

When he went in, he nodded to Masaoka to let him know the task was complete. They would take him in and treat his wounds and set him up to be questioned later by Tsunemori or Gino, whoever was free. Masaoka acknowledged the nod and let him be. 

The child sat in the back of the office, her flower folds careful and precise. He walked over to her, not wanting to startle her as he watched her quick motions. Petal done, she would run each end over with a glue stick and hold it for a few seconds before she put it to the side and started again. Her dark brown hair was in a ponytail, and her purple shirt had an image of a butterfly. A small stack of kusudama flower petals sat in a pile near her elbow.

“May I sit, please?”

She glanced briefly at him and went back to her folding. He took that as a yes.

It was interesting, bending himself into the position to take a seat on the tiny chair next to the tiny table--his knees were too big, his elbows awkward. He settled himself and watched the motions for a second. Then, he took a piece of paper and tried to follow the folds. 

By the second, she watched him as she folded her flower. By the third, she went slowly enough that he could keep up with her. By the sixth, they were folding together as though Kogami was an apt student. Flower completed, he glanced up at her, only to find her holding out the glue stick. Her eyes were wide in her thoughtful face.

“Thank you,” he said, taking it from her hand. She nodded and went back to her paper flowers. Maybe it was better that he didn’t know for whom this girl was folding these. The damage you could do to a child itched at his skin. He knew there were people out there who would use her, manipulate her, destroy her sense of self for their ego. They never had to look at the aftermath, at the sobbing kids and dead parents like he did. He hoped they slept well at night, since they’d spend the rest of their lives in damnation.

He glued his kusudama together without much trouble, the petals now stuck together into a single paper flower. It was a riot of color and was bent strangely at the sides, but he’d made it. (Akane would be proud of that, he guessed, and then felt foolish for the thought.)

The girl glanced at it, and he held it up so she could see. “You’re a good instructor.”

She glanced down. The look in her eyes edged on happy, so at least her burden had been eased. For now. 

“Nice flowers.” Kogami glanced up to see Masaoka standing behind him, hands in his pockets. “You’re a good teacher, little miss. We’ll hang it up to ward off Ko here winding up in med bay.”

Flustered, she looked down as she went back to her folding.

Masaoka’s hand landed on Kogami’s shoulder, addressing him. “Time to go.”

He nodded at Masaoka and was all angles as he got up. He reached down and took the flower before bowing to her in thanks.

Her nod was hesitant. A piece of paper sat beneath her fingers as she watched them leave.

The flower dangled from his hand as he and Masaoka walked out towards the paddy wagon. 

Then, “So are you--”

“Leave it, Pops,” Kogami said as they got closer, “it’s nothing.”

“Sure thing.” Masaoka chuckled, mostly to himself. “See you inside,” he said, shaking his head as he climbed up the ramp.

The rush of blood to his ears came from his heart, irrationally pounding in his chest. The aluminum door handle was steady under his hand as he paused outside her vehicle. This was nothing, he said. The car smelled of lemon as he opened it and leaned in, placing his flower on the dashboard. It looked silly, a riot of bent color just sitting there, waiting. Who knew for what. A breath left him, and the door shut too harshly. It was nothing, after all, he said as he climbed the ramp. Nothing, at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Masaoka knows what's up.
> 
> Here is a link to the Wikipedia about [kusudama flowers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusudama).
> 
> If you want to learn how to fold one, Origami Instructions has a [video and regular images](http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-kusudama-flower.html).
> 
> Origami Maniacs has more [kusudama info](http://origamimaniacs.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-is-kusudama.html). The top piece is from Wikipedia, so scroll down for more.
> 
> And come yell at [jediofbooksandsnacks](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jediofbooksandsnacks) about medicine balls on Tumblr.


End file.
